Tubular railing and fence construction



May 20, 1941. J. E. HEANUE.

TUBULAR RAILINQ AND FENCE CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct.- 1 2, 1938 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR: James E. ifeanue BY W W Y ATTORNEYS.

May 20, 1941. J. E. HEANUE TUBULAR RAILING AND FENCE CONSTRUCTION 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001;. 12, 1938 INVENTOR Jhmes Z. iflzanue, BY WATTORNEYS.

Patented May 28, 1941 TUBULAR RAILING AND FENCE CONSTRUCTION James E.'Heanue, Limerick, Pa., assignor to The United Pipe and Supply Company,Inc., town, Pa., a corporat Norrision of Pennsylvania.

Application October 12, 1988, Serial No. 234,588

1 Claim.

This invention in its broader aspects has reference to the joining oftubes in angular or analogous relation and, more particularly, to thepermanent juncture of the various components involved in tubular guardrailing, fence construction, and the like.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a simplified manner ofand means whereby butting tube ends and sections can be moreexpeditiously and permanently united in predetermined relation, thanheretofore, either in the shop or in the field.

Another object is the provision of tubular guard rail construction inwhich the main and other rails are rigidly united tocomplementallysectioned stanchions or supports in a novel man.- ner, orwithout the aid of bolts, rivets, or analogous joining means.

A further object is to provide a tubular guard railing or fenceconstruction that is capable of diversified application, and which iscomparatively cheap to manufacture, readily assembled, as well aspermanently set up with a. minimum expenditure of time and labor.

Other objects and ancillary advantages will be hereinafter pointed outor become apparent from the following disclosure of typical embodimentsof the invention, as illustrated by the accompanying drawings, while thenovel features a are more ters-ely defined in the concluding claims.

With the foregoing in view, the present invention consists of the novelmanner and means for rigidly uniting tube sections to supportingelements by abutment shapings and composite inserts with regional welds.

In the drawings, in which like reference characters are applied tocorresponding parts:

Fig. I is a perspective view of a portion of hand-railing or fenceconstruction embodying the present invention.

Fig. II is a fragmentary broken perspective view of one of thestanchions or supports, top

and supplemental rails including in the preceding View, but drawn to alarger scale for purposes of clarity.

Fig. III is a. vertical section on the plane III-III of Figs. I and II,drawn to a further enlarged scale.

Fig. IV is a horizontal section on the plane IV-IV of Figs. I and II.

I Fig. V is an exploded perspective view of the Grecian or lowercross-joint components.

Fig. VI is a horizontal section on the plane designated VI--VI in Fig.I.

' only of the latter being shown;

plane VIII-NIH of Fig.

Fig. VII is a horizontal section on the plane designated VII-VII in Fig.I.

Fig. VIII is-a horizontal corner section on the Fig. IX is a verticalsection on the plane IX-IX of Fig. VIII.

Fig. X is a horizontal section on the plane X-X of Fig. I.

Fig. XI is a perspective view of one type of tube end abutment formationinvolved in the structure of Fig. I.

Fig. XII is a similar illustration of another end abutment formationincluded in Fig. I; and,

Fig. XIII is a sectional view of a thirty degree guard rail connectionto a supponting vertical.

Referring now to the drawings in more detail, and firstly to Figs. I andII, the guard-railing or fence construction shown comprises tubularstanchions or spaced verticals I, a similar-section upper hand-rail 2,and single, or multiple, lower paralleling corresponding guard-rails 3,one

while the bottom ends of said verticals are adapted for rigid fixture toa suitable foundation or base support in accordance with known practice.It is to be. here remarked, the verticals I and rails 2, 3 arepreferably, although not essentially, made from standard stock of evendiameter.

Each vertical I, at the upperend, is appropriately and diametricallyrecessed to provide a seat 4, for the hand rail 2, with upperrailaligning straight edges or tips 5, and opposed holes 6 spacedinwardly of said tips, all for purposes later on set forth. At eachlocation for a lower guard-rail or rails 3, the vertical l is providedwith diametrically opposed holes I, conveniently at right angles to theholes 6, for reception of a pin 8 having a. previously attached head orconnector-plug 9; and after passage of said pin through the holes I anut or second connector-plug I0 is secured thereto. In connection withthe pin 8 and connector plugs 9, ll], it is to be noted the former 8 maybe cut to the desired length from suitable bar stock; whereas the plugs9, II] are preferably suitably formed or drop-forged with an axial boreI I and circumferentially-spaced opposing longitudinal ribs I2,respectively of a diameter for snug fitment therein of the ends of thepin 8, and similar engagement in the aligned ends of the guard-railsections I3, as readily understandable from Figs. II and IV, moreparticularly. In practice, the connector-plug 9 is initially applied tothe pin 8 and outwardly tack-welded thereto, for example, after whichsaid pin is passed through the holes horizontal ribs I2, for reasons tobe hereinafter fully explained.

The upper or hand-rail 2 though not essentially, made up continuous andprovided intermediate its beveled ends I8 with spaced holes I9 arrangedfor registration coaxis preferably, al-

ially over the vertical I, and into each such hole is inserted adiametric stud or pin 20, Fig. 111, having a head or connector-plug2I,-corresponding with the plugs 9, II] but shorter in length,-said plugbeing permanently attached to the rail 2 by an annular weld 22, aspreviously described in connection with the plugs 9, III.

For connecting the beveled end I8 of the handrail 2 to anangularly-related continuation 23 thereof, as well as to the cornerstanchion ,or vertical I, Fig. -I, the following procedure is preferablyadopted. Referring toFigs. VIII and IX, it will be seen the hand-railcontinuation 23 is beveled for abutment with the beveled end I8 at aright angle, for example, and that such ends are joined by acorrespondingly-angled connector plug 24 of the same cross-section asthe plugs 9, I0 and 2|, previously described. The hand-rail 2 andcontinuation 23 are also provided with holes 25, 26, respectively, forregistration over the ribs 21 of the plug 24 for a purpose later on setforth. The connector-plug 24 is provided with an orifice 28, which, whenthe parts 2 and 23 are engaged thereon axially registers withconformatory half-round cut-outs 29 in the confronting bevel ends ofsaid parts 2 and 23 at their underside, and through'which is insertedthe pin portion 30 of a connector plug 3| whereupon all of said partsare-permanently united by a weld 32, as best understood from Fig. IX.The upper end of the corner vertical I is grooved or cut away to formwhat may be termed a single half-round tip 33 only, as best shown inFig. XII, and also provided with opposed holes 34.

When it is desirable to provide a branch guardrail such as 35 in Figs. Iand VI, directed at right angles to and in a common plane with the rail3, a post I is provided with an additional hole 36 circumferentiallymid-way between the holes 1 previously described. Into the hole 36 isinserted the short shank portion 31 of a connector-plug 38 in all otherrespects resembling the plug 2|, whereas the adjoining end of the branchguard-rail 35 is provided with duplicate recesses 39, 40, Fig. XI, atright-angles to one another as well as opposed holes 4| for registrationwith the ribs 42 of the plug 38, said plug being permanently connectedto the post I by a suitable weld 43, prior to assembly of the railing orfence construction. On the other hand, when a similar guard-rail 44 isto be connected to the corner post I, the procedure just explained inrespect to a connector plug 38' is adopted, but said guard-rail 44 isformed at its end as shown in Fig. XII; and accordingly correspondingreferences with a prime exponent are applied in Fig. X to avoidrepetitive description.

When it is desired to provide what may be termed a cross-connected guardrail as comprehensively designated 0 in Figs. I and VII, that is to saywhen axially-aligned guard-rails 45, 46 are arranged at right angles tothe guard rail 3, the same procedure is employed as described inconnection with the branch guard rail 35, excepting that diametricallyopposed holes 45', Fig. VII, are provided in the post I with associatedplugs 38", whereas the coactive ends of said rails are of thecross-recessed type shown in 'Fig. XL Accordingly, in this view allparts having equivalents in the preceding description are similarlydesignated with double-prime exponents for purposes of illustrativedifferentiation.

In Fig. XIII is shown the adaptation of this invention to an inclinedguard-rail 41, 48 as applied to a vertical I. It will be noted theopposed holes 49 are bored through the post in conformity with theinclination of the rails 41, 48, while the ends of said rails areangularly recessed at 50 to conform with such inclination; whereas theconnector-plug construction is of the double-ended type described inconnection with Figs. II, IV, VI and VII, hence corresponding referencesare applied with triple prime exponents to obviate otherwise unnecessaryoverlapping explanatory matter; with the exception it may be hereremarked that the holes I1" are disposed at right angles to the planespreviously disclosed, or, in other words, supposing the holes I1horizontally-related, the holes I1"' will be vertically directed.

Having now set forth the structural details of the invention, the mannerof assembling and permanently uniting the several components is asfollows. First assuming the connector-plugs 20 have been secured to thehand-rail 2, also the plugs 9, I 0 and 38, as desired, to the verticalsI, I in the shop, the following procedure is preferably followed in thefield, or wherever the railing or fence is to be erected. The posts I, Iare successively set-up with the intervening guard rail sections I3, 35,44, 45 and 48, engaged at their ends on the associated connector plugs9, I0 and 38; whereupon the hand-rails 2 and 23 are engaged on the studs20, 30, of the vertical top connector-plugs 2|, 3|, respectively. Theseveral posts I, I are thereupon appropriately anchored, and with thevarious rail components or sections I3, 35, 44, 45 and 46, in abutmentwith the associated posts, the several holes 6, I1, 25, 26, 34 and M,are plugged by welds 5| whereby all of the enumerated components arerigidly and permanently united in coactive relation. After theoperations just explained are completed, the respective junctures arelikewise united by edge welds 52, whereupon the entire railing or fencestructure is permanently and rigidly connected as a composite whole.

Without further elaboration, it is thought the merits and advantages ofthe invention will be fully appreciated, and while preferred typesthereof have been explained in detail, itis tobe distinctly understoodthat said invention is not limited thereto, but may be otherwisevariously embodied and practiced within the scope of the followingclaim.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

A joint for structures, consisting of tubular support and rail withsolidconnector plugs, comprising an angularly related continuation forthe rail tube, said rail and continuation having the ends beveled 'forconfronting abutment across an associated corner support, a connectorplug in the corner support free end with a reduced shank projectingabove said support; an angled solid plug engageable in the rail tube andcontinuation abutting ends, said plug and rail abutting endsrespectively having an orifice and cutouts for coaction with the cornersupport connector plug reduced shank, and differential weld juncturesuniting the rail tube and. continuation to the corner support andconnector plug.

JAMES E. HEANUE.

